I Never Should Have Drank That Shady Potion
by 96thPerson
Summary: In which Rena accepts a shady quest and ends up being thrust into a war between Red, White, and the Rebellion. In a world inhabited by a dark magician cat, half-jabberwocky rabbit, and a shady masked man- "Hello, I am the Door Mouse. Would you like to accept this quest?" Collab by the Vesper Guild members, with too many goddamn authors and characters to count.
1. That Shady Man and his Shady Potion

Wes: HI THERE GUESS WHO COLLABED WITH WHO.

It was my guild.

Are we

Cool

yet.

Fae: no. (Wes: ;~;) ON WITH THIS BILLION YEAR OLD PIECE OF BUTT. (LIKE BUTT CREED /shot). -..goddamnit, wes.

* * *

Rena- Wind Sneaker

* * *

Rena awoke with a pounding headache. Her body was sore and her vision was fuzzy, blackening around the edges. She vaguely remembered falling down a hole while chasing a pure white rabbit, but it hurt to think.

A sharp pain shot down her spine as she tried to look up, jolting her awake. She gingerly touched her head, wincing as her fingers met a wet spot near her pony tail. She pulled her hand away and grimaced at the blood.

Glancing around, she attempted to take in her surroundings: She mostly saw cool colors, various shades of blue and purple. There was a planet somewhere in the background, and lots of floating cubes.

"Wh-where am I...?" She asked weakly, to no one in particular. Someone grabbed her hand and kneeled down next to her, propping her up on their knee. Whoever it was jerked her at an odd angle and held her a bit roughly. He placed a bottle to her mouth and said, "Here, drink this."

She was doubtful at first. What if it was poison? Would he be trying to kill her, a man she had never met? Or maybe it would be like some anesthetic and they would knock her out and take her somewhere else. That would make sense, then she wouldn't put up a fight if they carried her off or r-

He forced her mouth open and force-fed her the drink. She spluttered and gagged at the terrible taste, before doing a spinning kick from the floor.

"What the hell was that?!" Rena yelled, adapting a fighting stance.

Rena soon found herself staring at nothing. She looked all around but found that she was alone. On the floor she saw the small glass bottle that was used to give her the drink. Glaring, she kicked the bottle across the floor. It skid across the floor and off the edge of the platform she was standing on. She then watched with wide eyes as the bottle began to defy gravity and lift off into black oblivion of the endless, cube-filled space above her. She shook her head as if to try and shake what she had just seen out of her mind. She then noticed that her body felt better and when she pat her head, not only did it not hurt, there was no more blood. What was that drink? Where was she? And who was that?

More importantly, how had she gotten to wherever "here" was?

After looking around some more, she had come to the conclusion that there was absolutely no way off the platform on which she stood. She muttered a long rant of obscenities under her breath, glaring at the place where the bottle... should have been. She whipped around, glancing every which way and that. The bottle hadn't just ascended out of a general Elf's eyesight, it was gone, vanished.

She blinked in confusion. There was no way that could have happened. Things don't just float up into the air and disappear. It wasn't logical. It didn't make any sense.

There was a crack and clinking noises as glass littered the floor. Rena dropped to her knees, clutching her head as it exploded in pain, she suspected it started bleeding again. That drink, whatever it was, seemed as if it did absolutely nothing. Actually, if anything, it just delayed the pain and made it worse.

"It's impolite to litter another's domain, you know." A voice chuckled. When Rena turned, angry about the glass, there was, once again, no one there.

"Who's there?! Show yourself!" the blonde Elf yelled out into the wide expanse of space. "Who are you?!"

A small trace of fear edged on her tongue. Maybe she was hearing things. Maybe it was a dream... Maybe she was just imagining it all or something... Well, at least she _hoped _she was imagining things.

"Well? Aren't you going to apologize to me yet?" the voice asked. It snickered at Rena's confused and slightly angry face. The voice suddenly turned hostile. "You come falling down from the sky and into my space without invitation, then litter it. Just be lucky you have that key with you. Otherwise you would have been thrown out immediately."

"...Key?" If her expression showed confusion before, it was muddled now. Key? What key? She didn't have a key on her, let alone a pocket to store one. "I-I don't have a key..."

A blast of wind hit her from behind and when she turned, a bright white flash blinded her. When she recovered from the dizziness, blinking, she looked up to see a man. He had on a mask that revealed only one orange eye. His hair was white and the collar of his black cloak was littered with chains and locks. He kept behind him one arm while the other tossed two small blue cubes, much like the ones in the space around man cocked his head slightly. "Then what is it that you are holding?" He pointed to the item that was in Rena's grip.

The blonde looked to where the man was pointing to. He was right. Rena had indeed been holding something but... she was sure she hadn't been holding it from the very beginning... Right?

"I'm sure you're a little confused..." the man started. _Oh, of course, I'm confused, thanks for telling me, Captain Obvious,_ Rena snapped in her head. "But I'm sure you'll adjust." he continued. "Anyway, I have a quest for you."

"A quest?" Rena asked the man.

"Yes," he confirmed. "I need you to find a door. I'll give you a key to it, and once you find it, contact me with this."

Rena glanced at the small black cube and the key he pulled out of midair and handed to her. Cautiously, she took it. "It won't bite you."

Rena couldn't help but chuckle. She took the key and the small box, looking at the man for further instructions.

"Don't give me that look. There's a door over there." The man pointed to a door that Rena hadn't noticed before, "Go through it and your quest shall start."

"Fine then. I'll complete your little quest, but on one condition: Tell me who you are?" Rena asked, her curiosity peaking. First he saved her, then gave her a quest after screwing around with her mind. The least this mysterious man could do was tell Rena what his name was.

"I suppose I do owe you the honor. I am Glave, the Door Mouse. Now hurry up and get out of my sight before I decide to kick you out myself." Glave threatened, his visible eye looking as if it had gotten darker.

Rena flinched and chuckled, "L-leaving now sir," before turning towards the new door that appeared before her. The blonde quickened her pace for she could feel Glave's ...eye?... burning holes in her back.

She reached the "door" that the man had pointed to. This wasn't a door. It didn't even have a handle, how did he expect her to go through it? She stared at the door and waited for something crazy or magical to happen to get it open, as it seems only crazy and magical things had been happening that day. After seconds of silence, she had decided staring obviously wasn't the answer. She considered turning back to question Glave, but the unnerving feeling that may or may not have been coming from his eye was enough for her to disregard that choice. Experimentally, she decided to kick the door.

_Crack. _

"Crack?" Rena thought, stealing a quick glance back at Glave. No expression was seen on the man obviously because of his mask, but she could practically feel the smirk emitting out from behind it. So, since he hadn't commented on her actions, perhaps she really was supposed to break the door? Probably.

Shaking her head, Rena brought her attention back to the door. She brought her foot up and kicked it as hard as she could. Another crack. She looked back to where Glave was standing but he was gone. _Okay then, I guess I'm on my own from now on. _Rena continued to kick the door until it was covered in cracks.

With a determined cry, she brought her foot down in a final kick and watched the door finally burst into pieces. She watched in wonder as the pieces shot out at every which way before disappearing just as the bottle had. Rena sighed and turned back to look one last time at the place she would be leaving.

Everything was pitch black, the same darkness that consumes you when you sleep. She couldn't even trust that there was a floor besides the spot beneath her feet. She only had one direction to go, and that was forward, through the door that could possibly lead to her death. With a deep breath, she sprinted ahead into the unknown, allowing the light to swallow her.

She could only hope that she wasn't being watched by that mysterious man.

* * *

Fae: And then ends.

Wes: TY To Vesper Guild for actually writing and not making this a crack-y piece of what-the-fu-ever, and thank you for reading :D

Fae: BTW. I am sorry for the horrible summary/title.

Wes: And the icon is legitimately mine :D! Okay, we're really goddamn done here, but at least we have no legal problems :D!


	2. That Shady Cat and her Shady Staff

Fae: Aha! My turn to upload. Nothing much to say about this chapter except I love Cheshire. Not just in this story but Cheshire in general. Read! Enjoy! Review!

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Rena: Wind Sneaker

Cheshire Cat: Void Princess

Diamond: Lord Knight

* * *

Rena continued running with her head down and her eyes closed until she tripped on a conveniently placed, very sharp rock and was sent crashing to the floor. She landed awkwardly on her arm, cringing and yelping at the pain that shot through her body. She cursed loudly as she sat up, cradling her arm with her other hand.

Rena continued on cursing and examining her arm, oblivious to everything going on around her. The change of scenery, going from blackness to a checkerboard sky, reddish-brown grass, and purple and orange trees, the cat in the trees that was watching her and purring rather loudly, even the fact that she was wearing a white apron over a blue dress. At the moment, all she cared about was summoning Airelinna and healing herself, even though it was just a slight sprain.

As she tried to contact the fairy, her focus was interrupted by a loud, "AHEM!"

Rena looked up to see a purple-haired girl standing before her. She had two pigtails on the top of her head, the ribbons looking more like ears than bows, and her eyes were bright purple with slit pupils. Her outfit showed her stomach and chest, and consisted of shorts, a cross-cut sleeveless top, long gloves that came from just below her shoulders and covered her hands with paw-like sleeves, and thigh-high striped socks with garters under knee-high, paw looking boots. It was covered in stripes and solid colors, its main colors consisting of purples, pinks, and blacks. Around her neck was a red scarf tied in a bow, with a bell in the front that jingled as she moved and chuckled, and made a purring sound as she breathed.

Rena stared the girl up and down, examining her strange taste in clothing. She didn't have a weapon on her, so she couldn't be hostile, but at the same time...

"Excuse me, but I do believe you are sitting somewhere you shouldn't be." the girl said, her lips pulling back in a smirk that revealed sharp, animal-like canines. Her tail swished back and forth in a relaxed but impatient manner, and- Oh, wait, she had a tail-

"You have a tail!" Rena exclaimed. The girl cocked her head and blinked, before turning around in a circle. "I do not have one to tell you, but there certainly is one attached to my lower back."

The girl chuckled at Rena's confused face. She then took a step forward and leaned over, offering a hand. "Like I said before, you are sitting somewhere you shouldn't be. Benches and grass are for sitting, not roses."

Rena practically jumped to her feet when something nibbled at the back of her leg, and she looked down at the flowers. They were roses, sure enough, but in the middle were little mouths with two rows of nubby and/or sharp teeth. She stared down at the flowers, wondering why they hadn't bit her sooner.

"They don't bite unless you sit on them for too long. Now, that out of the way, we come to the formalities." The girl bowed, although a little informally, but continued nonetheless. "I am the Cheshire Cat, beloved pet of the Mad Hatter and guardian of the Hatter's Domain. I'm sure you'd love to introduce yourself, but he has already informed me of who you are."

"Oh?" Rena asked, raising her eyebrow. "Just who am I then?"

"You are Miss Alice, the savior of Wonderland and sole Light of Hope for the White Queen's Kingdom. You are the child that the High Mage Circle's prophecy spoke of, the girl that Door Mouse would give any key to, and the one who will ultimately crush the Red Queen and overtake Wonderland." The Cheshire cat explained.

Rena coughed, pulling herself to her feet. Her arm was still achy, but she could move it freely. "Um, no, you have it mistaken. I'm not Alice, my name is Rena. I'm from Elrios, and I'm just trying to get home to help my friends fight a war..."

The Cheshire Cat stood at her full height and smiled, placing a finger to her lips. "Ah, I suppose I said too much. You'll understand more as you journey, Alice. But don't worry, little Cheshire will be right here with you!"

"... I just want to go home, and I'm not Alice..." Rena said. What in the hell was this girl talking about? Cheshire Cat? Red and White Queens, the Mad Hatter... Who was Alice? Where was Wonderland? And what was this "Sole Light of Hope" and this prophecy?

"But Alice, do you have amnesia? Who else would you be, if not Alice? You are not an imposter, unless you had your clothes stolen..." Cheshire smiled, nodding up and down at Rena. The elf looked down at herself over and gasped. She was in a blue dress that tied behind her neck with a white dress under it that showed off her shoulders. It was fastened in place by a simpler, less golden version of her normal black corset, and over that was a white apron tied with a bow in the back. While she still had her shoes, they now came up knee high and were missing the flowers, and her socks were black and white striped, one striped vertically, the other striped horizontally. She had one black wristband and one white one, and her hair ribbon was white and covered with card suits.

"I-I don't understand, I-" Rena started, but the Cat grabbed her arm and started dragging her off towards the forest. "It's alright, no one understands anything here. Like I don't understand why I am the Cheshire Cat, when I am clearly more of a human than a cat, and why this place is Wonderland, even when it is neither full of wonders or wonderful. Everything here is just abnormal, but it isn't wonderful, or full of wonder, or anything of the sort, and for that, I do not understand the name. Why isn't it Abnormalland, instead of Wonderland?" Cheshire rambled, dragging Rena along. Rena just listened and walked, realizing that resistance was futile. As she glanced behind her to where she had come from, all she saw was a mountain, and the man known as the Door Mouse waving her off before disappearing.

Rena followed Cheshire until they reached a clearing, where the cat abruptly stopped. "I want you to do something for me."

Rena crossed her arms, and scoffed. "Only if you return the favor."

"Oh, in due time, Alice, I intend to. But I can't do anything without my precious Angkor, and sadly, he's been stolen. I want you to get him back for me." Cheshire explained. "You see, I am a mage of sorts, but I am unable to do magic without my staff. A Card Knight by the name of Diamond has stolen it from me, and I recently saw him hiding out just up ahead. See, I'm simply afraid of the man, could you go get my darling back for me?"

Rena sighed, staring at the adorable face Cheshire was giving her, and then nodded. "Fine. I'll get your stupid staff back, but only if you promise to take me to someone who can get me back home."

Cheshire huffed. "Angkor's not just some stupid staff. He's my best friend and a loved companion. Just hurry and go get him back."

She gave Rena a forceful shove, before turning her back and crossing her arms. Her tail twitched and was fraying angrily, but Rena was extremely cranky at that moment so she didn't care. She continued on, past the clearing and out of the deeper part of the woods, where she came to another clearing, but in the middle was a man. He had red hair and was wearing Elsword's apparel, but in only red and white, and his pants and shirt were less poofy, plus he was missing his armor on one shoulder. His sword looked different too, though still pointed and lance like, it had an amulet and some cloth strips hanging off the hilt.

Rena gasped and smiled in relief. Before she knew it, she was running towards him yelling, "Elsword! Thank god you're okay!"

He twitched and stared at her, drawing his blade and making a quick slash at her. She gasped and jumped back, just barely avoiding getting her guts spilled on the floor. She skid back on her knee and feet, holding the ground with one hand. "Elsword?"

"You seem to have me mistaken for someone else. I am the Card Knight of the Black Diamonds, you may call me Diamond for short." Elsword, now dubbed Diamond said flatly. "I assume you're Alice?"

"No, Elsword, it's me, it's Rena." Rena started, standing back up. "Why did you attack me?"

"My Queen has ordered it." Diamond said, pointing his blade at her. Rena could see the staff Cheshire was talking about in his other hand though: It was long and axe-like, colored in dark purples, whites, and pinks. There was a red ribbon, also with a bell tied around the top of the handle of the staff, right below the bat that looked like an axe blade.

So that little thing was Angkor... Maybe it wouldn't be so hard to get, the stupid thing looked sturdy enough...

As if on cue, the staff started sweating. That was simply peculiar, there was no way a staff could sweat... But then again, this _was_ Wonderland, and that staff _did_ belong to Cheshire...

"Alice, I'm afraid that while we just met, I cannot let you live. Now would be a good time to beg your god for mercy." Diamond told her, with the largest and only hint of emotion in his flat tone since she had met him.

"Wha- No, wait, I-" Rena started, but he charged at her, cutting her off and leaving no room for discussion. She hopped back from his first stab, and then ducked slightly to avoid his second one. She had to spread her arms out and practically bend in half to avoid his slashes, and when the knight started trying to trip her, she was practically dancing across the field.

Finally, he pushed her into a tree, where she slammed her back on the trunk and knocked the wind out of herself with the impact. She panted to catch her breath, but the Knight charged her and held the blade to her throat. "Any regrets?"

"... Sorry, I didn't want to hit you, but sadly..." Rena sighed, before kneeing the knight in the stomach and upper cutting him in the jaw. She caught the staff with her foot and jerked it out of his hand, and then quickly did a Drilling Kick into his chest before he hit the floor. He glared at her upon sitting up, holding his shredded shirt and chest as he bled out. Through his fingers, Rena could see a bright green glow, something that resembled the glow of...

"Do you have an Elshard where your heart should be?!" She exclaimed, fumbling with the staff to avoid dropping it in surprise.

"Everyone in Wonderland has one, save two people. You, Alice, are one of them, but I'm sure you already knew that. Forgive me for getting cocky, next time it won't be so easy." Diamond replied, before standing and slinking off to god knows where. Rena was about to run after him when Cheshire tackled her from behind, grabbed her staff, and tumbled away from Rena. The Elf stood, huffing angrily.

"You were there the whole time?!" She demanded, taking a menacing step towards the Cat.

"But of course. I said, 'Cheshire will always be there for you,' did I not? But I also said I was deathly afraid of the man and was useless without my staff." Cheshire smiled. She then pointed the axe part of Angkor at Rena. "Would you like to see me at my full power? I'll fight you right now.~"

Rena glared and slapped the staff aside. "Whatever, attack me if you want. Anyway, I want you to take me to someone who can take me home. Also, explain why Diamond had an Elshard for a heart."

Cheshire was silent, staring at Rena with a confused face. "What?"

"What is... A 'Heart?'" the Cat finally asked. Rena could only stare.

* * *

Wes: BTW. That conveniently placed sharp rock is in all of my stories o_O lololol. It's my favorite OC out of all my OCs.


	3. These Shady First Encounters

Wes: CHAPTER THREE, METHINKS. Sorry for the late chapter, I wasn't at Rar/SA3's on Friday. Also there are a lack of comments here due to all the ones in the chapter OOPS XD

Well, without further ado, enjoy~

* * *

Rena: Wind Sneaker

Cheshire Cat: Void Princess

Diamond: Lord Knight

Spades: Elemental Master

White Rabbit: Blade Master

* * *

Diamond kept on walking without looking back. Once he got to a clearing though, he stumbled. The knight felt his chest and looked at the blood on his hand, cursing under his breath. How could it have ended like that? How did he get so sloppy, and why was he just being cocky when fighting her? She was Alice, after all.

The sound of rustling forced Diamond away from his thoughts and on to his feet, sword drawn. "Put that thing down." he heard a familiar voice say. "You'd be wasting your time if you dare challenge me to a duel in your condition."

A purple haired girl stepped out from the bushes, a staff in one hand and a book in the other. She wore the traditional cloak of an Elemental Master, but in black and white and covered in Spades to represent her Suit. The cloak was longer with no jacket or sleeves, and had spades in the pattern on the lining. Under her cloak, she wore a loose-sleeved dress shirt over a skin-tight black skirt. She wore no tie, only a spade shaped clasp with two grey ribbons under it. Her socks were white with spades lining the outsides and had garters, and her shoes were pure grey. She had two pigtails that hung down over her shoulders, and dark purple eyes with white pupils, the whites of her eyes being pure black.

Diamond glared at the girl. "Spades." He hissed with a hateful undertone, causing the girl to smirk.

"I saw you fighting down there. Did you forget she's Alice? She has the power to destroy all of us."

"Shut it, Spades. Remember, it was you who got careless in killing the Hatter, so it will be your fault if she meets him." Diamond hissed, still grasping his chest.

Spades stared at him, a cold, emotionless look in her eyes. "I laughed a little when she did that to you."

"She knows about the ElHearts now. And she's going to meet up with Hatter, who knows practically everything about them. This isn't a laughing matter, Spades." Diamond spat. She merely returned his tirade with a hard stare.

"It's not like we can't kill her. Let me take her next time, show you how the pros do it." Spades said, stepping past her companion.

"Did I hear a tinge of humor on your tongue?"

"Did I hear jealousy on yours?"(1)

* * *

Rena followed the Cheshire Cat through the forest. "What do you mean you don't know what a heart is?" she asked loudly, trying to catch up with the purple feline. Cheshire stopped and turned to her.

"I mean what I say. Like I say what I mean, same thing really." Rena gave her a confused look. "What? It's not like I asked you how a Raven is like a Writing Desk." Cheshire thought for a moment, "Actually, I'd never ask that, I don't even know the answer myself. It was the Hatter's question originally. He'd always ask that just to confuse people."

"... Who is the Hatter?" Rena asked, cocking her head to the side. "Does he know the answer?"

"He knows everything about Ravens and Writing Desks, but he doesn't know the answer. Abnormalland is more of his forte. He might even know about how to get you home. Hatter knows all the answers, except to a very few amount of questions. Ravens and Writings Desks are one of them." Cheshire explained, smiling and dancing around a little. Her staff floated next to her, before becoming a bat and dancing with her. Rena jumped a little, but continued on anyway.

"Well, very helpful as that was, I still am unsure of who the Hatter is. Are you taking me to meet him?" Rena sighed, staring at the Cat's staff. That stupid thing wasn't as surprising as she'd originally thought, in fact, it was only a very small, round bat with a red ribbon tied above its wings, and a face that always had a smiling cat mouth. Not only that, it's cheeks, if it had any, looked puffy, and very soft, so soft, that at times, Rena just wanted to grab the stupid thing and squeeze its cheeks till they were raw.

"Well, that's alright then, you'll know soon enough. Besides, you were going to meet him eventually, he is one of the key pieces in this game. Or cards, or dice, or whatever you prefer to compare him to." Cheshire smiled again, cocking her head cutely and hugging her bat. "It's all a matter of opinion, but I guess, that is, if your opinion really matters." The girl promptly turned and continued walking. Rena, not knowing where she was going, decided to follow so as not to get lost.

Cheshire paused for a moment and then broke into a run, Rena at her heels. The Elf wondered why her friend was running but all thoughts stopped when Cheshire did. The pair had somehow ended up in a large garden. Not just any garden either, for the two were in the very center of a large maze of hedges. Rena couldn't help but be amazed at what she was seeing. The flowers that were planted along the edges were similar to the ones she had seen when she first entered Wonderland, but slightly different. She heard whispers, as if the flowers were speaking. Large statues of people that Rena felt were familiar but couldn't quite put a finger on it spread apart at even intervals and were towering majestically over everything. Cheshire waved at something -or someone- and Rena looked over to see what -or who- it was.

There was a man pacing by a large tree. Something was caught in the branches above him, a few little things that looked like pixies circling whatever was there and giggling at him. He had on a long, white jacket with a fur lined hood and a single ball of fluff at the base of the back, six belts hanging off it. Two went to the front on each side, and when he turned around, Rena could see that one of his belts went all the way around the could also see the shirt that showed off most of his stomach, and the black sash that was tied down one leg to cover the thigh. She recognized his orange eyes, gasping loudly and smiling.

"Oh my gosh, Raven!" Rena called, glomp tackling him to the floor. She hugged his neck, leaning over him as she propped herself up. "I'm freaking out right now, are Aisha, Chung, and Eve here too? I met Elsword earlier, but he attacked me and I- Are those Rabbit ears...?"

Raven blushed and pushed her off, jumping to his feet. "I-I'm afraid you have me mistaken, ma'am! I'm the White Rabbit, not and never a Raven!" He stuttered. Rena blinked in confusion. He definitely wasn't Raven, he never stuttered or blushed like that, nor did he have rabbit ears.

"Oh, Mr. Rabbit! It's nice to see you again, are you up for another game of hide-and-go-seek any time soon?" Cheshire asked. The Rabbit stared at her, before nodding. "Maybe sometime next week, but it just depends on what Her Highness says. I'll ask if I can get a day off, I was just heading back to the palace."

"Oh! So were we. Alice wanted to meet Hatter." Cheshire pointed to Rena. "Apparently, she doesn't know anything about Abnormalland, Elshard Hearts, The Red Queen, or Ravens and Writing Desks."

"Abnormalland, hm? That's a new name for this place, have you dubbed it so?" Rabbit asked. Cheshire nodded, a large smile on her face. "Because everything in 'Wonderland is neither 'wonderful' or 'full of wonder,' it is more than anything, simply 'abnormal.'"

Rena took the opportunity to look around. This section of the maze had nothing but a few hedges to mark the edges, some giant mushrooms, and two trees, one of which was dead. Her thoughts wandered: The tree on the left was the dead one, so did that mean that going that way got you killed? Or perhaps the creator of the garden was screwing with your head, and it was the right way to go... "There is no right way."

Rena jumped at the voice. It definitely wasn't in her head, but Cheshire and Rabbit were still locked in a deep conversation about cheese wedges and iron... So who...

"Ahem!" The voice said again, and something tugged at her hair. She looked to the left to see a small girl, with long green hair and a black dress floating next to her face. "Took you long enough. My name is Airelinna. You're Alice, correct?"

"Wha- Airelinna, what are you doing here?" Rena asked. The fairy took on an annoyed face that said, "I'd slap you if I was large enough."

"I'm here to help you. See that book up there, that my friends are guarding? If the Rabbit asks you to get it back for him, decline." Airelinna explained. Rena opened her mouth to ask, but the fairy replied, "That Rabbit is a liar and a deceiver, that only the White Queen trusts. He's a half Jabberwocky, that arm of his is capable of many dark things. He keeps secrets from people in that book, and we need to use it to expose what the Rabbit really is."

"... Airelinna, you're too paranoid and untrustworthy of him. He seems to have turned a new leaf, he isn't attacking anyone, is he?" Rena asked, glancing back at the two animals, Rabbit chasing Cheshire like they were two children. "See?"

"Ask that to yourself when you're flat on your back and have his sword pointed at your face." Airelinna grumbled. Rena liked her Airelinna better, this one was sour, to say the least. She sat down on Rena's shoulder, crossing her arms and saying, "It doesn't matter, you're Alice anyway, everyone's after you."

"What? Everyon- Why? I'm not even-" Rena started to say, when Cheshire ran over to her. "Miss Alice! Rabbit asked us for some help, but I'm afraid I've failed him. He needs to get his book back, but those pixies won't let him have it."

"Hey!" Airelinna barked. "Those are FAIRIES, not PIXIES! Get your facts straight, mangy cat!"

Cheshire hissed, her lips pulling back in a snarl. "What did you just call me? Come back here, you fly!"

Rena ducked out of the way of Cheshire's leap and stepped away from the two, watching the cat chase the fairy. It was an amusing sight, and it looked like Cheshire was having more fun than being angry. She couldn't help the small chuckle that escaped her lips, but her attention was caught by the Rabbit.

"Um... Hello? Are you Alice?"

Rena sighed, flailing her arms. "No, not really, but if you insist on it, then sure."

"Oh, do you wish for me to call you something else?" The Rabbit asked, giving her a guilty look. She paused for a second, before replying, "No, it's fine. Call me whatever you want."

"So, What do you need me to do?" She asked. The Rabbit motioned upward. "Those fairies stole my journal, my Book of Revelation, to be exact. It's very important to me, and I need it back so I can continue on my way."

Rena stared up at the book Rabbit was talking about: It was a thick, dark, royal blue bock, with a gold clasp to hold it closed and a black spine. It was backwards, though, so she couldn't see the cover.

There were four fairies guarding it: one in yellow pants and a white jacket, one in all blue, one covered in vines and leaves, and the last in white clothing with a golden sash and necklace. They were hovering around the book and sitting on it, giggling as loudly as fairies could giggle.

"... These little things don't look so harmful... Can't you get it yourself?" Rena asked him. He shook his head sadly. "Though they may be tiny, they can kill something as fearsome as a Jabberwocky if in a big enough group."

"How? They're not even-"

"Your size?" Airelinna finished for her, returning to rest on her shoulder. Rena jumped and stared at the fairy, cursing quietly. "Don't do that, jeez..."

"Whatever. See, even if they aren't that big, they sure pack a punch, capable of killing that Rabbit, even if he is part Jabberwocky. See, I'll explain. That one in blue is Raul, she's a lightning fairy, and her shocks can stun or even kill something. The one with green hair is Dryad, and she's a forest fairy. Her vines entangle and restrain whatever she wishes. The one next to her, with the gold is Oryed, and she's an earth fairy. She causes eruptions under and around things. Finally, there's me. You know me as Airelinna, and I'm a healer. I can also increase the speed of anyone blessed enough with my presence." the fairy bragged, puffing out her chest. Rena really wanted her calm and helpful Airelinna back, not this... Cocky and rude one. "Okay, so you four are dangerous. What about the last one? With the yellow pants?"

Airelinna was silent, before saying, "She's Illipia, the most dangerous of all of us. She's also a healer, but when pushed into serious situations, she freaks and her aura becomes deadly. She's resolved to being passive and rarely using her powers unless she needs to."

"Why is that? I think that would be really handy." Rena replied, scanning the tree for footholds. "No, see, she has an aura that spreads around a certain radius, and heals anything caught inside, so when she freaks..."

The fairy stopped talking and sat on Rena's shoulder, which said Elf found rather odd. She briefly wondered what had happened to make Illipia become so passive, and if her "freak out" had happened once before.

She pushed that thought train to the back of her mind for discussion on a later date. Maybe Cheshire would know something, or maybe Airelinna would just outright tell her. She circled the tree once, but found no place to put her feet, so she decided she'd just take a running start.

Backing up, she got into a starting position, saying, "Airelinna, you might want to wait with Cheshire."

"What?" The fairy asked, giving her an incredulous look. "Why- Woah!"

She tumbled off Rena's shoulder as she sprinted to the tree. She took two hops, before jumping off one foot. While still in midair, she did a flip, performing a second jump which landed her a good hold on one of the tree's branches. She pulled herself up, taking a second to pause and catch her balance on the branch.

"Okay... Now, just let me..." She breathed, inching to the group of fairies who were now staring intently at her. She glared at them a determined flame in her eyes. "The book. Give it to me."

They merely chuckled, before the branch under her shook violently. Rena yelped and fell backwards, caching herself with one hand. The tree stopped shaking, which allowed her to swing herself back onto the branch.

"Alice! Get down from there!"

Rabbit and Cheshire were yelling and waving frantically up at her. She looked down at them, another tremor shaking the tree. Rena held fast for a short while, before the tree stopped.

"Alice, you're climbing upon a Whomping Willow! They don't tolerate weight on their branches unless the weight is welcome! Come down!" Rabbit screamed, ushering her down with his hands. "Forget the book, we can get it later, just get down!"

"... A what?!" Rena screamed, before the tree started shaking again. This tremor was much more fierce than the first, thrashing her around again. She lost grip on the branch, her fingers slowly slipping, and finally, she fell, slamming into the tree trunk and then sliding to the floor.

Rena groaned, cracking her eyes and then gasped loudly, tumbling out of the way of a root coming to smash her head in. "Rabbit, what's a Whomping Willow?!"

Rena tripped, skidding along the floor on her side. Gasping, she cringed and covered her face, awaiting impact from the root that was about to kill her, when suddenly, she was charged from the side, hands around her waist and back, and wind in her hair. In a few seconds, she was sitting next to Cheshire and Airelinna, the tree a few meters behind her where she was out of danger, and watching the fairies fly away deeper into the maze. "Wait, come back-"

"Miss Alice, are you alright?" Rabbit asked. He was holding her lightly, propping her up with his knee and hand, a concerned look in his eyes and on his face. Compared to the rest of him, his left arm was oddly cold and rigid.

"I-I'm fine." She stuttered, pulling away and sitting up. "The fairies got away, we need to go after them!"

"... I wish to accompany you, in case we run into any more Willows or fairies or any other type of plant or animal." Rabbit said, standing.

"Perfect! Come on, let's go catch them!" Cheshire giggled gleefully. "Then we'll go straight to Hatter!"

* * *

1: OOOOOOOH BURN. I'm sorry I can't read that without thinking that omf

Wes: Anyway, that's all, hope it was entertaining for a late update. Also, Thank You shout out to HelloKitty55443 for continuously reading this fic and reviewing! We're only three chapters in, but I hope it doesn't disappoint!


	4. In a Shady Maze

Fae: "In fourteen hundred ninety-two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue, It was a courageous thing to do, But someone was already here." And then you know, the various European travels to the Americas, wars with the Native Americans, and all possible exploits that brought about the United States as we know it today... In anycase, enjoy your three-day weekend (that is, if you had one...). So, yeah. Happy Columbus/Indigenous People's/whatever-you-wanna-celebrate day.

* * *

Rena: Wind Sneaker

Cheshire Cat: Void Princess

White Rabbit: Blade Master

Spades: Elemental Master

Red Queen: Code Nemesis

* * *

Rena followed Cheshire, Rabbit close at her heels. They were quickly catching up to the fairies, who were leading them all the way through the maze that probably led to either the center or the other side. Rena was starting to wonder about the fairies though, were they really trying to run away? Or were they purposefully leading them deeper into the maze? And if they were, why? For what reason?

The archer glanced at her companions, doing a quick double take at Cheshire: She had practically teleported all the way ahead of them! Not that Rena should have been surprised, the cat-girl had already demonstrated her magical capabilities. Rabbit didn't seem to notice as he ran much faster than Rena and was also way ahead of her. 'I don't think I've ever ran this much!'

"Miss Alice! I see the fairies up ahead! Come on!" Rabbit yelled, waving at her to hurry. She took a few short breaths and pressed onward, sprinting her fastest."I'm trying! I can't run that fast! I'm only human!"

The Rabbit stared at her forlornly, before running backwards into Cheshire with a yelp. She stood stock still, her ears flattened back to her head. "What... Is a 'human?'"

"What? Cheshire, are you okay?" Rena asked, stepping up to the cat. Her ears stood back up slowly, with a tinge of a sad tilt to them. "Hatter used to say that to me... 'We're only human, no one's perfect!' I haven't heard him say that in a long time..."

"Chesh, I'm sorry, I..."

"Guys, sorry to break up your moment, but look!" Airelinna yelled, pointing. The blue clothed fairy was holding twin staffs in her hands and chanting a spell, before pointing them at the Rabbit. Lighting shot off the rods, and he tumbled out of the way, singeing one of his belts in the process. The fairy chuckled and shot another wave of lighting at him, to which he tumbled out of the way again. "Rabbit!" The fairy smirked and turned towards Cheshire and Rena, lightning crackling at the top of her staffs before she shot another wave of electricity at the two girls standing a little ways away from him.

Cheshire hid her head in Rena's shoulder, awaiting the lighting strike, but it never came. She blinked, looking up, and gasped audibly, pulling out of Rena's arms. "Rabbit! Are you-?!"

"I-I'm fine." He muttered, standing and throwing his arm down, much like one flicks a sword. Rena could see his arm now, the reason it was so cold and dead. It was a light purple, edging on grey, black and red veins tangling up the muscles. "What is that...?"

"I know, it's hideous. But it helped protect you, so I guess it's alright. Are you hurt?" He asked, turning his calm orange eyes on them. Cheshire's tail bristled in fear, but she nodded anyway. His smile dropped and he looked like he was going to cry as he whispered, "Please don't give me that face, Chesh... I'm still Rabbit..."

"Hey! Fairies are getting away! Rena, go after them!" Airelinna yelled, grabbing Rena's ear and pointing. The elf stared between Cheshire and Rabbit, before turning and sprinting into the maze after the fairies.

"Wait, Alice!"

"What?!"

The Rabbit and Cheshire paused abruptly, the cat's tail bristling as Rabbit sniffed the air. He put a protective hand to his side, whispering, "Don't move."

There was silence for a long while, and then Rabbit's eyes widened and he twitched his attention to the exit directly diagonally to them. There was a snap, and then something red flashed from down the aisle, before an explosion sounded. "That sounded like one of the Hatter's spells..." Airelinna whispered, snuggling into Rena's neck, her small body shaking.

"Why are you shaking? He can't be that bad..." Rena urged, putting a hand up to comfort the fairy.

"I'm not shaking, shut up." the fairy hissed, smacking her hand harmlessly. "You haven't met him yet, you'll know when you see him."

There was a rustling sound that had Cheshire and Rabbit staring at one of the exits behind them, when suddenly, a purple haired woman burst from one of the bushes, flames trailing behind her from her feet and burning the ground. She charged at Rabbit with a scream, swinging her staff in a downwards arc at his feet, earning a grunt. He backflipped away from her, his ears flattening back to his head. The woman stood at her full height and thrust her staff in the air, summoning a large, dark, ominous cloud over her head, and screaming, "Blizzard Shower!"

The clouds opened and huge chunks of ice and hail rained down from the sky, creating icicles wherever they hit. As the blizzard came to an end, the woman thrust her staff forward, channeling energy into a blue sphere on it's tip. She swung it forward, sending it flying at Rabbit and Cheshire.

"No!" Rena screamed, trying to run forward to block them, when the missile changed direction and flew at her instead. She gasped and tried to backpedal away from the thing, but it came at her too quickly. She turned and ran, hearing Rabbit yell, "Wait, Miss Alice- You'll get lost-!"

Rena could barely hear him, but she couldn't turn around to ask. She had to focus on getting away from the blue ball of light that was chasing her, before it hit her and probably obliterated her for good. The more corners she turned, she started getting deeper and deeper into the maze, and before she knew it, she was lost. It was a completely new area, the ground was flat, littered with old wooden bridges that were rotting under her feet; moss hung from them and dripped into the water, feeding the odd looking black-and-silver fish. They were like a cross between koi and bottom-feeders, with large fins that flowed in the water and huge mouths that opened and closed. Rena turned the corner and nearly slammed into the wall of the maze. Luckily, it was only a large, neatly trimmed bush, but still would have been unfortunate. She turned around, gasping at the lack of people. "Cheshire? Rabbit?"

Rena sighed and looked around. It was official. She was lost. The elf let out a low growl of frustration. _'The worst part about this is, I'm lost in a maze. A maze for crying out loud! How did I even...?!' _Rena tried to recall how she had gotten separated from her two animal-eared companions in the first place. Cheshire and Rabbit had been directly behind her until they had turned a corner and disappeared. At least... They were behind her... right? Looking around for anything that would tell her where she was or where her new...friends?... had gone off to.

She gasped in realization. How could she have left them with that psychotic elemental witch? She had to get back quickly, before something got bad and they ended up dead.

Farther down, there was another explosion and some yelling, and Rena was about to jump the hedge when a cough caught her attention. She turned, glancing around, only to see no one there, and gulped quietly. As she turned back around, she gasped as her nose brushed against another person's, who only smirked. "Welcome to Wonderland."

"Wh-who are you?!" She yelled, jumping back, and the face only smiled. Upon further inspection, the face had hair and was attached to a body. It was wearing a long red dress, with a slit up the side, revealing a pale leg wearing a red heeled boot. Her thigh band was black, the same tone as her gloves, but not the same type of smoky fabric as the cloth of her shawl. "Hello, Alice. Pleasure to make your acquaintance. I am the Red Queen."

Rena stared at her. The Red Queen held out her hand, "Are you lost? I can show you the way out." Rena continued staring. It probably would have been a better idea to stay and wait for Cheshire and Rabbit but, in the short amount of time that the elf had known the two, the possibility of them returning any time soon was slim. So, with the thought in mind, the elf grabbed the stranger's hand and the two made their way out of the maze.

"So, what brings you to Wonderland? And to the Mad Hatter's maze no less!" The queen asked, before widening her eyes and laughing to herself. "Oh, silly me, I forgot to ask your name! Who are you, Miss Alice?"

This woman... Rena was skeptical of her, she was asking who she was and then saying her name... Or the name everyone called her anyway. "Um... My name is Rena... I don't exactly know how I got here, this man calling himself the Dor Mouse dropped me here..."

The woman turned on her and smiled, a dark shadow casting over her eyes. "So you're not natively from Wonderland? How interesting!"

For some reason, Rena was struck with fear. She didn't know why she continued following her, why she even felt the slightest hint of trust. As they neared a fork in the road, Rena gulped quietly, before asking, "Uhm... So who are you?"

"Me?" The woman asked. She touched her cheek with a finger, staring at the sky, which was starting to turn red. "Ahh... Who am I... Oh! I know who I am! I'm the Red Queen, ruler of the whole of Wonderland! I came to give you a warm, warm welcome."

The dark shadow cast across her face again, but she quickly brightened with a smile. "Here we are! If you just go straight, you should get to the Mad Hatter. Good luck now, Miss Rena."

Rena turned to see... Nothing. The queen was gone, and she was alone again, lost in the maze. Well, the queen did say to go straight... And she didn't seem like a bad person... Perhaps it would be a good idea to trust her...

A prickling sensation rose at the back of her neck, and for two seconds, she felt like she was seeing stars. Her body refused to move, but then she quickly lunged forward and stood. A second later, her body loosened again, and she could move on her own.

'What... Just happened to me?' she thought to herself, as she took off running into the maze again. As she got further along and more questions started circling in her head, she could see that an intense battle was raging.

* * *

Fae: *sobs at life* why do I have midterms on a holiday. It makes no sense! Well, enjoy your day/whatever hour it is. I'll go cry in the corner. QAQ


	5. These Shady Knights

Fae: Sorry Wes, but I just had to update; It's been too long. Sorry people who actually read this story, life got in our way. Anywho, hope you guys had fun on halloween, going out and getting candy or staying home, whatever you did. You guys should have seen the Assassin's Creed 4 jacket she made. It was soft. Okay, I'm done. Enjoy this thing...or not...oh, and all explanations are at the bottom so when you don't understand, just keep reading until the end.

* * *

Rena: Wind Sneaker

Cheshire Cat: Void Princess

Spades: Elemental Master

White Rabbit: Blade Master

Saber: Saber Knight

White Knight: Lento

* * *

Cheshire groaned, slowly pulling herself to her feet, only to be knocked back down again. Spades stood over her, bladed staff poised threateningly by Cheshire's face. "Where is Alice?"

"Didn't you see her run into the maze? What did you do to Rabbit? Why can't he move?!" Cheshire yelled back, but the Elemental Witch struck her in the face again. "I'll ask the questions here."

"No, I get to ask some of my own! What did you do to my best friend!?" Cheshire yelled again, earning a sigh. The witch kneeled down next to her face and pulled one of her ears, muttering, "My staff is imbued with a powerful poison. The poison transferred into his bloodstream when I ripped that gash in his shoulder. Did you really think even a half-jabberwocky could stand up to a holy Card Knight?"

"You're not holy at all! You hurt Rabbit, and he did nothing to you! You don't deserve to be a knight-" The cat screamed as Spades blasted her with a powerful stream of fire, singeing the edges of her clothing and some of her hair and her tail. It knocked her to the floor, where she weakly tried to get up before falling limp. Spades glared down at her, nudging her unconscious form with her toe, before sneering and striding back to the Rabbit.

When she got to him, he glared up at her, rasping, "You'll never... Get the info... From me-!"

"You're looking quite green there, poor baby. Why don't I remedy that for you?" She brought her staff up over her head, grinning as she was about to bring it down and lop him in half, but something flew her way and knocked her staff aside. Another came at her and hit her arm, the pain setting in immediately and rendering it useless, and a third came at her shin, knocking her to the floor. "Who-?!"

"Rabbit, are you alright?!" Rena yelled, rushing over to the two, a rock still in her hand. Airelinna flew from her hiding place in Rabbit's cloak, calling, "Alice! Rabbit is poisoned!"

"Then heal him!" Rena yelled back, getting into a fighting stance as Spades pulled herself to her feet. "You're Alice?"

"Yes, I am. Who are you?" Rena asked. Spades growled, thrusting her staff forward. "I am the Card Knight of Spades, here to take your life."

"That's what Dia said, and he got his butt kicked!" Rena taunted back with a laugh. Spades glared, charging at her. "No one calls him Dia! And I won't go so easy on you!"

She swung her staff in a downward arc at Rena's feet, a powerful gust of wind following it, knocking Rena onto her back. She coughed, rolling to her left and out of the way of the witch, kicking her hard in the knee. The sound of her bone cracking echoed across the clearing and she screamed,collapsing to the floor. Rena stared down at her, then sprinted away, back to where Cheshire had joined Rabbit. He was sweating, his skin pale and clammy, breaths coming in short pants Cheshire was beyond worried, demanding Airelinna do something and do it now before he couldn't be saved. "Chesh- Chesh I'm fine- S-Stop-"

"No no nonono, we have to help you, Airelinna has to do something, cuz you can't die..." Cheshire told him, her voice a high-pitched mewl. Rabbit looked up at her and gave her a soft smile, reaching for one of her hands.. "I-I'll be fine-"

"Alice-!" Rena turned away from the scene, her attention snapping back to Spades. The witch's eyes were positively burning with rage, her staff clenched tightly in her fist. "You wretched creature! How dare you, insulting me by sparing me?!"

"Would you rather I have killed you?!" Rena yelled back. The Witch cracked her neck and stood at her full height, waving her staff in front of her. She didn't reply, merely grit her teeth and rushed forward. She slammed her staff into Rena's side, with enough force to cause a cracking noise to shake her body. She coughed, and Spades took the opportunity to slam her staff across Rena's cheek, then drew it back and nailed Rena in the junction where her neck met her shoulder. Rena yelped, and used the strength in her other arm to grab the staff. Spades smirked, her hands buzzing with power, and she forced all of her anger, jealousy, rage, out in one hard blast of energy. It traveled up the rod and condensed at the tip, exploding against Rena's face and side in a blast of electricity and lightning.

Rena couldn't bring herself to let go of the staff. All the shocks from the magic raced through her body, and she screamed in agony, flying backwards as soon as the lightning receded. She landed on her shoulder and skid back, tumbling along the floor for about a meter or two. Her body shook, electricity crackling and popping along her skin and clothing. She let out a shaky breath and stared up at Spades, more fear in her eyes than the intended hate. Spades laughed, her hand high over her head, a ball of fire and lava forming and getting larger in her palm. She grinned down at Rena, barking, "Hah! Dia really is the most useless, to think you defeated him! Farewell, Alice, in the after world-!"

Her arm was swinging down and Rena clenched her eyes shut. Cheshire screamed something, her hand flying for her staff, when a red crescent shaped wave of fire came raining from the sky. Spades glanced up at the blast of fire a mere second too late, and it slammed against her chest. The meteorite that had formed over her dissipated in a cloud of smoke that rose to the sky and vanished, while Spades went flying back. She crashed into one of the hedges, flying through it with an outraged scream and slamming into the hedge behind it, a body shaped hole outlined by burned and charred plants.

"Saber, ecalp detnioppa eht ta ,sruoh wef a ni suovzedner llahs eW .Queen eht ot nruter dna owt esoht rehtag ,ylkciuq."(1) a masculine voice commanded, firm and strong. Rena tried to sit up, but she was too sore to move. The man grabbed her waist holding his sword protectively over her shoulder, glaring hard at the hole in the hedges.

A feminine voice replied, in the same husky tone as the man's, but she didn't speak completely backwards. Saber, Rena assumed. "Understood, Sir. Shall I hold off the witch if she wakes up?"

"ti tuoba kciuq eb dna ,Duke Rabbit taert ,tuo meht teg tsuJ .oN!"(2) He replied. Saber gave a curt nod, tightening the belt that held her cloak closed around her shoulders. She sheathed her weapon, turning to Cheshire and Rabbit. "W-wait, don't…" Rena weakly mumbled, trying to reach out for her friends. The man holding her placed a finger to her lips and whispered, "Miss Alice, please do not fight it. It is for your own benefit."

_'He can speak straight?'_ was the first thought that ran through Rena's mind, her eyes widening. She didn't get a good look at his face because he quickly looked away from her and back to Saber. "Sir, we don't have much time."

"yrruh nehT!"(3) He yelled, and Saber took off, all that could be seen of her was a white blur, her cloak, topped with red, probably her hair. She had Cheshire under one arm and was holding Rabbit over the other, but that was about all Rena saw before she was lifted by her torso and dragged away from the scene. "Wait- Wait, what are you going to do with my friends-?!"

Rena started to struggle, the adrenaline snapping her out of her fatigued state. The man's grip was strong, and she could barely even move herself, let alone force him into letting her down. "Cheshire! Rabbit! Airelinna-!"

The man kept running, and Rena tried to wrestle herself out of his grip, but he wouldn't have for it. He kept his grip tight, gritting his teeth against her thrashing in order not to drop her, he had to get her away from the Spade Witch. He had to protect Alice at all costs, for the Queen of White… For that is the duty of the White Knight, is it not?

At the back of his mind, he was also worried about his apprentice, Saber, the White Rook. Did she make it out okay? Did the Witch follow her? What if she got lost in the maze herself? The White Knight knew she was a capable young lady, he had been training her and raising her like his own daughter so she would succeed him when he passed, but he still worried.

Rena on the other hand, and long since stopped struggling. She had no idea how long they'd been running for, where her friends were, why this man she didn't even know had kidnapped her, and where she was going. All hope of her getting home was lost, even the sour little fairy Airelinna was gone, and Rena had to admit, she missed the overconfident little thing.

"Psst-! Psst, Alice!"

Oh no way. That voice was too good to be true. "Airelinna?"

"Hey." The fairy said, gripping onto Rena's ear. "Jeez, take it easy when a Knight is saving you. You almost threw me off."

"A Knight-?!" Rena gasped, looking up at the man. He had dark hair, short and choppy, hanging over his ears and down the back of his neck. His eyes were grey, and his skin was dark tan. Other than that, Rena couldn't see anything else, well, aside his white hooded cloak. Now that she looked at him, he reminded her of someone in Feita, the head of the Guard, Lento… "He's a Knight? But he and that other girl, Saber, they attacked Spades-"

"Shh! They're not Card Knights. This man and that Saber girl are White Knights, the purest beings in all of Wonderland. They are appointed as royal guards of the country by the White Queen herself." Airelinna explained. Rena nodded, sighing with relief. At least this man wasn't bad, and she could maybe trust him if he put her down-

He gave a grunt and shifted her in his arms, throwing her up and over his broad back, holding tightly to her waist. Rena yelped, her anger quickly rising, and she landed a weak knee attack to his chest. "Hey! Put me down! I lied! I'm not Alice!"

* * *

Fae: ...I have no words to say to that... but I should explain how the White Knight talks. I can't really remember how that idea came about but he's talking in backwards/inverted text. It's backwards and the position of the words are switched around, so the beginning of sentences start at the end unless it's a proper noun (mainly names). If the first word you see is a name then you start with the name then go to the end (which is the start) of the sentence. If you see a proper noun at the middle of the sentence, then that name is said in the middle of the sentence. Try and read it if you want. If not, translations are always at the bottom.

(1): Saber, quickly, gather those two and return to the Queen. We shall rendezvous in a few hours, at the appointed meeting place.

(2): No! Just get them out, treat Duke Rabbit, and be quick about it. (pfft, he's not actually a Duke, it's just some sign of respect or something..)

(3): Then hurry!


	6. This Shady Mirror Maze

Wes: Look, I'm actually updating on my own account this time :D;; Hi guys. Sorry it's been a while LOL And Fea has been so kind updating for me OTL Well, here is the new chapter~ Enjoy~

* * *

Rena: Alice

Lento: White Knight

* * *

"LET. ME. GO. I don't want to be manhandled!" Rena yelled as the White Knight ran deeper into the maze with her tossed over his shoulder. Airelinna, who now had a much easier time keeping up with the two, flew alongside Rena as she yelled. The Fairy, who was looking around for signs of danger, noticed that the plants of this particular area were not like the plants from the areas she frequented. Instead they were mutated, a sickly shade of blue that made her grimace. A particularly long vine reached out to her and she could see the underside was a red color that reminded her of flesh. Attempting to ignore the plants, she faced the Knight, "Where the heck are we even going?"

Suddenly, the Knight stopped and put Rena down. The elf straightened herself up and glared at him. "Oh, I haven't the slightest idea." He said, surely. "But the White Queen gave us orders to keep Alice safe. So I am fairly certain that, as long as the Red Queen's Knights aren't attacking you, then you are safe."

Rena raised an eye eyebrow, "How certain are you?"

".thgink gnidael White Queen's eht gnieb tuoba niatrec ma I sa rettam siht tuoba niatrec sa ma I [1]"

"...What..?"

"In anycase, we should leave this area as quickly as possible, no sane person would be in this section of the garden." The Knight started walking deeper into the maze, prompting the other two to follow.

Rena pondered the familiarity of the area as the group walked forward. The maze grew darker and uglier as they trudged through. The elf thought she had seen the plants move and there seemed to be eyes watching their every move. "Lento, what is this place?" The Knight gave her a short glare.

"My name is not Lento, so please refrain from calling me that." He said, then looked forward again. "And this is area is also part of the garden, but it was abandoned a long time ago, after the plants started mutating. There's a greenhouse here somewhere. Or was it a House of Mirrors..? Either way, there was some sort of building the White and Red Queen often visited together... before the war started that is..."

The White Knight suddenly grew quiet. Rena glanced at Airelinna, hoping for some explanation, but the Fairy was staring sadly at the ground. It must have been a touchy subject so Rena decided not to pry too much. She noticed that the further they walked, the less mutated plant life there was. Sure the area was still creepy and the surrounding hedges were still blue but there weren't any fleshy vines or plants with faces constantly watching them. That, for some reason, unnerved the elf.

The three continued on a long and winding road that slanted downwards and curved the further they went, as if the path was spiraling into itself. Occasionally there were niches along the hedges but instead of having statues there were intricately drawn magic circles on the floor that glowed a faint blue. "They're teleport circles." Airelinna said quietly as she flew close to Rena's ear. "But no one uses them because they don't send people to the places they're supposed to. Bad things happened to the people who used them."

Rena looked around as they walked, thinking about what could have happened in this area of the garden when a building came into view. The building was tall and ominous looking, with glass walls that were covered with dirt and grime. There was a large and equally dirty sign beside the building. It had a drawing of a girl in white and a girl in red holding hands as they were surrounded by mirrors and beautiful flowers. Rena couldn't help but frown when she saw that the faces of the girls, as well as the neat looking writing underneath them, were scratched out by rather large looking claw marks.

"Oh! I remember this place." Airelinna said as the trio walked towards the building. "The Greenhouse of Mirrors. It was one of the best places to go to, especially when it was sunny and the light would go through the glass and reflect agains all the mirrors." Airelinna sighed. "It was like walking through a dream."

"But you don't walk." The White Knight pointed out. Airelinna stepped out of her daydream state and glared at him. "We must hurry, though. The time we must rendezvous with the others is coming soon."

Rena nodded, wanting to see Cheshire and Rabbit to make sure they were okay. The White Knight walked to the door of the building and opened it. The inside of the Greenhouse looked no better than the outside. The White Knight walked to the very entrance of the mirror maze, prompting Rena and the Fairy to follow.

Ceramic plant pots were hung from the ceiling and the larger, more elaborate looking pots were placed at dead end areas, their contents long dead and covered with cobwebs. The mirrors that made up the walls of the maze, much like the glass walls, were covered with dust, grime, and copper colored marks that, Rena hoped, was rust.

"This place is gross." the Fairy said, cringing.

Rena was about to comment on the maze as well when she saw a shadow, a moving figure from the corner of her eye. A second shadow moved in closer but its location was indiscernible due to the mirror maze surrounding the three.

"I thought you said no one else but us would be here..." Airelinna said, clinging onto Rena's dress.

"No, I said 'No sane person would be on this area', obviously whoever's here isn't sane."

"Wait, Lento, do you hear that?" Rena asked, her ears twitching. The White Knight turned to her, hissing, "Lento em llac ot ton uoy dlot I [2]! What do you hear?"

"... Voices. Metal. It sounds like... a weapon." Rena replied. The slide of metal-on-metal reminded her of the way Raven's arm clanked when he moved, or the click-click Chung's cannon made. "Oh crud she heard you."

Rena raised an eyebrow. "Hello?"

"Hi!"

"No you idiot, don't say 'hi' to her!"

"But she already knows we're here!"

"Oh, jeez. Just get out there and shatter all the mirrors."

"Ugh, fine."

"Alice! Cover your ears!" The White Knight yelled, rushing to grab her and run. As soon as he was next to Rena, a shriek pierced the air, loud, deafening, sharp. The knight flinched, Rena screamed too, and every single mirror and glass wall in the greenhouse shattered.

* * *

[1] I am as certain about this matter as I am certain about being the White Queen's leading knight.

[2]I told you not to call me Lento!

Wes: Whoo! Interesting chapter~ But it's shorter than usual lol Oh! I should take the time to quickly state HOW it came about, the White Knight talking backwards. It was my idea, because I heard it from a song from the Sucker Punch OST, called White Rabbit by Emiliana Torrini. There is a line, "and the White Knight is talking backwards..." and I was like, HEY THAT'S A GREAT IDEA let's do it.

So techinally the WK's speech belongs to Torrini? Idk, lol.


End file.
